The Latest: Packed room for Louisiana ex-governor's birthday

Updated 8:09 pm, Saturday, August 12, 2017

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The Latest on the 90th birthday party for former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards (all times local):

8 p.m.

The glitzy 90th birthday party for Louisiana's four-term former governor Edwin Edwards drew a packed house, including the state's current chief executive and other elected officials from around the state.

Edwards said he was surprised and grateful by the turnout for Saturday night's celebratory bash. He called it "one of the highlights of my long career."

The $250-per-ticket event drew more than 500 people.

Edwards, a Democrat, was Louisiana's most powerful political figure for decades, serving as governor for 16 years between 1972 and 1996. He's known for his biting wit, political savvy and, later, a federal prison sentence after a corruption conviction.

He's been out of prison since 2011 and remains popular across the state.

Among the guests at Saturday's birthday party was Louisiana's current governor, John Bel Edwards.

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10 a.m.

Louisiana's four-term former governor Edwin Edwards is having an ostentatious 90th birthday bash, with a $250-per-person price tag to attend.

A more traditional person might call it crass. But Edwards isn't anything close to traditional.

The powerful and charismatic Democrat was the dominant figure in Louisiana politics for decades before he went to federal prison for a corruption conviction.

Out of prison six years, Edwards has a wife 50 years his junior, a 4-year-old son and continued popularity.

The birthday festivities Saturday night at a posh Baton Rouge hotel sold out weeks in advance. The ballroom will be packed with 500 people: elected officials, lobbyists and onlookers watching what is expected to be pure Louisiana political spectacle.

Among those to attend is Louisiana's current governor, Democrat John Bel Edwards.